20131024警世覺悟植善苗 Disasters: Major Warning Signals
Every day, I talk about world events, starting in my Dharma talk before dawn and alert everyone to the reality of disasters happening frequently all across the world, becoming ever more threatening.
Last week, Typhoon Wipha impacted Japan and, in one day, brought over 800 mm of rain in some areas, almost like water being dumped from a bucket. Landslides happened as volcanic ash washed down the volcanic mountain. The mountain was like a tofu crumbling.
Plus, with the massive rainfall, landslides swept down the mountain, almost like a tsunami in its destructive power, washing out houses in its path. Now people there are very scared because another typhoon, Francisco, is approaching Japan and it is described as a very strong typhoon.
The residents there are very scared and started evacuating from the island. We’re seeing Japan suffering from one typhoon after another. Given this in the aftermath, people really should think carefully about why disasters happen.
There’s also Australia where wildfires are still burning uncontrollably, and with additional fire activity yesterday. The UN Climate Chief has expressed that the fires this time have a link to increasing heat waves from climate change. The description of our world being like a house on fire, with fires raging in all corners, is real. This is already happening, so we must be on the alert.
We see that in Australia, vast tracts of forestland are burning. Australia is large in land size, so despite such massive fires, most people still seem to not care very much and don’t feel it’s related to them. Only when homes in the suburbs of Sydney were burned did people feel the disaster.
But Taiwan, meanwhile, is such a small island. It cannot withstand such a disaster. With the forest fires in Taiwan that happened this week and over a week ago, I am truly very concerned. I don’t know how Taiwan is to holdup after such damage. It’s very worrying.
We saw news from Colorado, U.S.A. where it experienced wildfires and then flooding. A scientist also mentioned that the large amount of rainfall happens once in a thousand years, a 0.1 percent chance. Before the flooding, Colorado experienced wildfires.
The intense fire severely damaged the land. It’s like our body, if we suffer burns, we have a burn scar where the skin is hardened, with no pores. It’s the same with the land. The severe wildfire left a burn scar on the land. So, when the heavy rain came, it resulted in a devastation flood disaster.
Although the floodwater has receded for several weeks now, the impacted area hasn’t completely recovered. Survivors are still struggling after such a long time. When our volunteers arrived there, they saw that the survivors are still scared and are undergoing hardship.
For this aid mission, we had volunteers coming from southern and northern California. They joined together to work as a team. “I’m form Northern California. I brought Master’s picture.” “I came from the U.S. headquarters. I brought cash cards totaling about US$100,000.” “I am from Southern California. I brought 250 scarves.” “I am from Oakland. I brought myself here today to be a volunteer.”
They were there to spread seeds of love and good ways of thinking, in hopes that people’s hearts can open which will help them come to term with the disaster. We also want them to become rich in heart. So, our volunteers shared with them about Tzu Chi and its history. At the same time, they guided them to lead a simpler lifestyle.
Through living a simple life, they can help others in need. This is how people can walk the Bodhisattva Path amidst hardship. Our volunteers guide people in hardship to develop love for others. So, in the U.S. we are also in the midst of disaster relief. It is heartbreaking to see the disaster there. It is also very worrying as they’ve been suffering since September and have yet to recover.
Because it is chilly now, Tzu Chi volunteers brought them blankets and scarves. Such care really warmed the people’s hearts. Our volunteers really are bodhisattvas in our world. In these times that we live in, the world is already in a state of corruption and decay. Disasters natural and man-made are rampant.
So, we need to raise our awareness even more and give our love every moment we can to contribute to and benefit the world. We also see news from our volunteers in Thailand where some areas for more than a month. They have been providing hot meals to survivors for more than a month.
A few days ago, heavy downpours caused flooding in another province. Survivors are in need of drinking water. So, yesterday, our volunteers delivered water purification equipment to help people there filter unclean water into clean drinking water. So, in disaster relief, Tzu Chi volunteers provide different aid depending on the need.
It is truly very touching that though these volunteers are in countries so far away from Taiwan yet when disasters happen in their country, they likewise go forward to provide aid. Right now, at this same time, in China, Thailand, the U.S., Indonesia, and the Philippines’ Zamboanga and Cebu, Tau Chi volunteers are all carrying out aid work. See, Tzu Chi volunteers are our world’s bodhisattvas spread out across all corners of the world. This is truly very moving.
In conclusion, we really need to take these disasters to heart. Given such disasters, we must wake up. These are all major warning signals to us. We need to learn more about what is happening in our world and to our world. Everyone, please truly be mindful about this
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